


Fuzz Therapy

by anonymouse_fiction



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Friendship, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, Humor, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 05:55:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7606303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anonymouse_fiction/pseuds/anonymouse_fiction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After some (worried) complaining from Lance, Keith finally decides to learn how to take care of his Galra fur right. What no one was expecting was how gosh darn fluffy he would be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fuzz Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so considering all the seriousness going down in the fandom right now, I thought everyone could use some fluff that may or may not be crackish. Please note that while I intended to keep this ship-free... my hand miiight have slipped a bit. But that all depends on how you interpret it.
> 
> And yes, I count 'quiznak' as swearing.

“Dude, I left my towel back at my bunk. Mind if I use one of yours?” Lance asked as they were taking a rest from their training bout. Keith’s ears lowered a bit in annoyance.

“Really?”

“What?! You were the one that was all ‘Get up, lazy!’ Seriously!” Lance grumbled while crossing his arms. Keith just rolled his eyes before stooping and digging through his duffle bag and chucking a spare towel in Lance’s face as he grabbed one for himself.

“You’re doing the laundry, afterwards.” Keith said simply as he sat down next to Lance, cleaning himself up while he was at it.

“What? Afraid of a little sweat?” Lance teased as he brought the towel up to his face, only to see purple hairs on it.

“DUDE!” Lance yelped, dropping the towel and staring at it. Keith jolted, ears perked in alarm, and brought the towel away from his face. Seeing no threat, he shot Lance an annoyed look.

“What?!”

“There’s _fur_ on it!”

“Because _I’m_ furry, idiot!”

“No, like, more fur than I’m used to! Are you shedding or something?” Lance asked, warily eyeing Keith. Keith growled and took a swipe at the side of Lance’s head, only for him to dodge it.

“No, I’m not! Seriously, did you have an extra bowl of stupid for brea-what are you doing?” Keith asked flatly as Lance put both hands on his cheeks and rubbed them up and down a bit.

“Are you sure you’re alright? Your fur feels really scratchy and dry…” Lance asked before moving his hands to feel at Keith’s ears. Keith’s ears went back and flat as he leaned away, yellow eyes narrowed with irritation.

“I’m fine.”

“Are not! Dude, your skin feels scratchy and dry, too!”

“So?! I’m bathing like twice as much as usual and it’s not doing anything, so unless there’s a setting on the healing pods that deals with this, I’ll just have to cope.”

“You’re really gonna try and hide this, aren’t ya? Alright, that’s it; I’m calling Shiro on this.” Lance said in finality as he got up. Keith shot up and grabbed his arms as he went to leave.

“What?! No!”

“Uh, yeah, I am! What if you get sick or something? Then what?” Lance asked, making Keith chew his bottom lip a bit in thought.

“What? Are you worried you’ll get made fun of?” Lance asked, making Keith’s eyes widen a bit.

“No! I just… don’t know how to ask, I guess.” Keith shrugged.

“Hey, here’s a crazy idea: ask!” Lance said in exasperation.

“And just how do you ask someone ‘Hey, my Galran fur and skin is acting weird; is there a way to fix it?’ when we barely know anything about the enemy to begin with?” Keith shot back, getting agitated.

“Your fur is bothering you?” Shiro asked as he entered the training room. Lance gave Keith a satisfied grin, which only earned him a punch on the arm from Keith.

“Yeah, a little.” Keith answered sheepishly as Shiro walked over to them and looked Keith over.

“A little?! Dude, there’s enough fur on that towel to make a mini-Keith!” Lance exclaimed, motioning to the towel on the floor.

“Really? Huh, maybe we could use it as your replacement…” Keith wondered sardonically.

“Why you-”

“That’s enough, you two. It’s a good thing I was going to have you report to the bridge anyways. We’ll postpone our meeting so we can talk about this. I expect you both there shortly.” Shiro cut in before the pair could start bickering with each other.

“Yes sir.” Keith sighed, being sure to punch Lance in the arm again for shooting him another smug smirk.

\-----

            Once Keith and Lance had gotten cleaned up after their training bout, they reported to the bridge. Fully expecting a lecture from Shiro about their bickering, the pair both internally braced themselves for one, only to go through the doors to see Hunk and Shiro maneuvering a large box into the room with Coran bringing up the rear, carrying a sack of something. Allura and Pidge were already in the room, looking over one of the screens with multiple fact pages pulled up. Lance and Keith looked to each other and shrugged as they walked towards everyone.

“What’s with all the science stuff?” Lance asked, walking over to Pidge and Allura while Keith went to help Hunk and Shiro.

“Huh? Oh, this is a health database that Allura directed me to. We were looking up some stuff Shiro asked us to after he told us something was up with Keith.” Pidge answered, not looking away from the screen as she hovered the mouse over an article that was translated to read ‘fur care’.

“Ah! There it is, Pidge! You can select that and leave it up for Keith to read completely later. Right now I need to check something.” Allura said as she moved away from the screen and over to Keith. As Keith was setting down the box with Shiro and Hunk, Allura put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

“Keith? Could you please turn to face me?” Allura asked, smiling when Keith did so.

“Have you been feeling any discomfort?” Allura asked as she closely examined Keith’s face, making his ears turn down a bit and lean back some.

“Not really?”

“No itching? Matted fur?” Allura continued, this time grabbing one of Keith’s arms and rolling up the sleeve of his shirt to feel his fur and skin.

“Not that I’m aware of…” Keith replied warily, ears flicking back when he heard the sound of something being poured into the box.

“Hmm… I’m glad Lance got you to talk about this before that happened, then.” Allura said, stepping back a bit once she finished her examination.

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Keith, I know you’re still getting used to your Galran genetics, but you should be asking questions when you feel like something is off. I don’t want you getting sick because you were afraid to ask.” Allura said, giving Keith a gentle smile.

“But I don’t feel sick! Why are you so worried?”

“Because if this fact sheet is translated right, apparently you can get parasites and fungi living on you if you keep bathing like you do.” Pidge piped up, trying not to laugh as Lance started turning green.

“What?!”

“And your skin could start to-holy crows that’s NASTY!” Lance yelped before slapping a hand over his mouth, clearly looking sick.

“My skin could start to what?!” Keith said worriedly as he ran over to the screen, quickly skimming over the fact sheet. It wasn’t long before he started to feel queasy, too.

“As I’m sure you can see, Galran skin and fur is actually very high maintenance. I’d assumed you’d done as asked when this happened and did your research, but I suppose it could be a bit hard to find the time with all the training you do.” Allura sighed.

“It’s a good thing I did the research for you, though! Everything you need is right here!” Allura said proudly, motioning to the box in the center of the room. Everyone in the room fell silent, looking to the box in confusion.

“Uh, what’s a box of dust gonna help with?” Hunk asked.

“Well, from what we know, the Galran home world is quite desolate. Water isn’t readily available, so it’s generally reserved for drinking and medical use. Because of this, many believe the Galra began using the native dust on their planet to bathe. As a result, their coats are quite dense and hold water easily, which can lead to the conditions listed on that fact sheet.” Allura explained.

“That explains why it takes so long to get dry, then.” Keith muttered, crossing his arms.

“Ok, so what does he need to do?” Shiro asked, giving Keith a look that said ‘I fully expect you to do what’s needed or so help me…’.

“Well, since we don’t have access to dust from the Galran home world, we had to improvise. But from what Allura’s research suggests, Fuller’s Earth will be an excellent substitute.” Coran said.

“Why do we have Fuller’s Earth on board to begin with?” Pidge asked, eyebrow quirked questioningly.

“We use it to clean with. It’s an excellent absorbent for getting those tough-to-clean oil spots in the hangar!” Coran answered.

“Sooo, what am I supposed to do with it?” Keith asked, eyeing the gray, ashy dust warily.

“You roll in it!” Allura said with a smirk.

“I what?” Keith asked flatly.

“You roll around in it! Or flip and flop, or rub you back into it; whatever you need to do to get it into your fur.” Allura elaborated, a finger to her chin as she tried to think of more options.

“Are you really serious right no-”

“Keith the chinchilla! Holy crow this is hysterical!” Lance cut in, laughing at his revelation. Keith’s face went hot and he whipped around, glaring at Lance.

“I’m NOT a chinchilla!”

“B-but you need dust baths like them! Oh geez, this is too funny!” Lance carried on, not seeing Allura and Coran look to each other in confusion.

“What’s a chinchilla?” Both asked.

“They’re a species of rodent found on Earth that can be kept as pets. They’re small and really fluffy, and have a coat similar to a Galra. They use dust baths to keep themselves clean, too.” Pidge answered, ignoring Keith trying to attack Lance for teasing him.

“So, they’re purple with yellow eyes as well?” Coran asked, nodding to Shiro to get Lance and Keith under control.

“Nope! I’ve seen ‘em in pet stores before. They’re usually this really soft gray with little white paws, big ears, big black eyes, and bottlebrush tails. They are pretty cute, come to think of it.” Hunk said contemplatively.

“Aww, hear that? Hunk think’s you cute!”

“I AM NOT A CHINCHILLA, YOU QUIZNAK! SHUT UP!” Keith yelled, only to have Shiro grab the collar of his shirt to keep him from throttling Lance.

“Language! And Lance, if you keep it up I’ll let him go and do whatever he’s wanting to do to you. Got it?” Shiro threatened, glad to see Lance shut up at that.

“Here, maybe a visual will help.” Pidge said as she turned back to the computer and typed something in, pulling up several images of chinchillas.

“Oh, how CUTE!” Allura cooed, looking over all of the images on the screen.

“I see what you mean by bottlebrush tails…” Coran commented, head tilted slightly as he looked at one of the pictures.

“Shoot me…” Keith groaned, hiding his face in his hands. Hunk walked over to him and patted his shoulder, hoping to cheer him up a bit.

“Alright everyone, let’s clear out of here so Keith can figure this out for himself. And Keith?” Shiro asked as Keith’s ears perked at his voice, making him move his hands away from his face.

“Yeah?”

“I expect you to read all of those fact sheets and make any alterations you need. We want you healthy and happy, ok?” Shiro said, offering him a comforting smile.

“Yeah, _some_ of us more than others.” Pidge teased as she elbowed Lance in the ribs. Lance felt a blush run up his neck and cover his face, so he quickly turned away and started walking out of the room.

“You’re spending too much time in the hangar again, Pidge. Those fumes are frying your brain!” Lance said, hoping to get her to drop it.

“And the tips of your ears are still red.” Pidge countered, following him towards the door.

            The rest of the crew walked out, with Shiro trying to get Pidge to leave Lance be. As the doors shut, Keith looked over to the box and scowled at it. He wasn’t wanting to do this, but if it would help keep him healthy, he didn’t really have much of a choice. Keith heaved a begrudging sigh and started undressing so he could ‘bathe’.

‘Stupid Galran fur…’

\-----

“Lance, _what_ are you doing?” Pidge asked as he whirled around and put his ear to the shut door.

“I wanna see if he makes any weird noises! Duh!” Lance answered, rolling his eyes.

“Wooow, you’ve got it bad.” Pidge sighed. Lance looked back to her with an incredulous expression.

“You’re really telling me you’re _not_ curious?” Lance asked, cocking an eyebrow as he did so. Pidge looked up in thought for a moment before chuckling a bit.

“Ok, maybe a little. Scoot over.” Pidge said, squatting down next to Lance.

“Make room for one more!” Hunk said, doing the same.

“Hey! Give the poor guy some privacy!” Shiro tried, hoping to get them up and away from the door.

“Shiro has a point, you three. He’s already nervous as it is abou-”

“Hey, I hear shuffling in there!” Pidge said, cutting Allura off.

            A few clicks of silence passed, with the shuffling getting louder and more frequent. It stopped for a few moments, and everyone at the door sighed, getting up to leave since the show was apparently over. It wasn’t until a very delighted squeak sounded from the room that they all zipped back to their spots.

“Oh my God, that’s adorable!” Pidge said, trying not to giggle as more squeaks followed after.

“Man, he’s going to town in there, isn’t he?” Hunk asked as the shuffling noise picked up, only to suddenly cut off.

“Think he’s done?” Lance asked as the room feel quiet.

“I don’t know, but you three are!” Shiro said firmly as he grabbed Pidge and Lance by the backs of their shirts and dragged them away from the door, with Allura grabbing Hunk and doing the same.

“Curiosity is all fine and well, but you have to be considerate of others.” Coran chided as they all went to one of the common rooms to wait.

            A good hour passed by, with the members of the crew coming and going as they pleased. Lance was the only one to stay put. He was trying his hardest not to seem worried, but everyone pretty much knew he was. It wasn’t until Keith finally wandered into that common room that Lance got up.

“Did the lil’ chinchilla like his bath?” Lance asked with a smug grin. Keith looked him dead in the eye, grabbed one of his hands, and held it up to his cheek.

“How?” Keith asked.

Lance cocked his head in confusion for a minute, trying to figure out what he meant, until he actually felt the fur under his hand. Just one bath in the Fuller’s Earth was enough to turn Keith’s fur from scratchy and dry to soft and fluffy. Lance couldn’t help but bring up his other hand and rub at Keith’s cheeks.

“I say space magic. There’s no way dust could make your fur get THIS fluffy that quick.” Lance commented, smirking when he saw Keith’s ears and eyelids start to droop in relaxation as he continued to pet his cheeks.

“Hey Lance! Is Keith done ye-OH MY GOD HE GOT SO FLOOFY!” Hunk shouted happily, running over and snatching Keith up in one of his famous hugs. Keith’s squeak of alarm and surprise was enough to get him to loosen his grip, but not enough to get him to let go.

“Guys! You gotta come feel this! He’s like one of those cashmere sheep!” Hunk called back over his shoulder as the rest of the crew was coming back to the room.

“No way.” Pidge said as Keith was set down. Keith rolled his eyes and stooped down a bit for her, only for her to go right for his ears.

“Ok, I stand corrected: yes way! His ears are like velvet!”

“Really? Keith, may I feel?” Allura asked.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” Keith sighed, holding his arm out for her while Pidge let go of his ears.

“Thank yo-OH! You really did get soft and fluffy! Good; that’s the sign of a healthy coat in most all furred beings.” Allura said as she let his arm go. Coran chuckled.

“Not for sloths, Allura.”

“I said most, Coran.” Allura said, shooting Coran an unamused look.

“So you’re all good now?” Shiro asked, fluffing his hair affectionately.

“Yeah. It’s definitely gonna be weird, but I guess it’s just something I’ll have to get used to.” Keith shrugged.

            As Shiro pulled his hand away, Keith’s hair fluffed out into a messy puff, only barely holding its usual shape. Keith grumbled frustratedly as everyone busted out laughing at the sight, trying his hardest to get it back to its usual look. As everyone calmed down and started to ask him questions, he noticed one voice missing from the cacophony. Frowning just a bit, Keith decided to look for Lance once he’d calmed everyone down.

\-----

            It didn’t take long for Keith to find Lance, what with him being a creature of habit. The door to Lance’s room was shut, but the occupancy light was on, so that meant Lance was hiding out in there. Keith knocked on the door, wondering if he’d be ignored. A few moments of silence passed before Keith’s ears perked at the sound of the door opening.

“Oh, well if it isn’t mister foof.” Lance said. Keith rolled his eyes.

“Hey to you, too. Any reason why your sulking in here?”

“Nah, I just figured you had enough people fluffing your fur, so I left.”

“Ah. Well, thanks.” Keith said softly, ears dropping down and back a bit. Lance had started to take this to mean embarrassment, so he couldn’t help but wonder what was up.

“For what?”

“I… well, y’know…”

“No, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.” Lance said flatly, making Keith’s ears perk back up in agitation.

“For… convincing me to get some help.” Keith muttered, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“That all? Dude, we’re rivals. It’s what they do, y’know? What’s the fun of beating your rival unless they’re at their best?” Lance said with a nonchalant shrug.

“Well, that and… um…” Keith’s ears were going flat back now, something everyone had established meant ‘I’m angry’ or ‘I’m scared’.

“Dude, relax. I know you don’t thank me a lot, but it’s cool. I get it! So chill out some, ok?” Lance tried, hoping to comfort Keith.

“I’m fine! Just… thanks for not manhandling me like everyone else did.” Keith mumbled, looking to the floor.

“No problem. Just keep the dust baths or whatever up, ok?” Lance said, unconsciously bringing a hand up to pet behind one of Keith’s ears.

            Lance definitely thought Pidge was onto something as he stroked the fur there. It really was velvety soft, and it seemed to calm him and Keith down, too. Keith let his eyes slip shut in contentment, surprised by how relaxing it was. Lance brought the hand up to stroke his hair, but stopped the second a rumble started coming from Keith’s chest. Keith’s eyes snapped open, wide with embarrassment, as Lance paused in his actions to look at Keith in disbelief as he forced the noise to stop.

“Did you seriously just start to purr?” Lance asked with a laugh.

“Oh shup up, you quiznak.” Keith grumbled, punching Lance in the arm good-naturedly.

**Author's Note:**

> End Notes: Coran was not amused by the amount of dust Keith managed to spill from the box. It took him a good hour to clean up the bridge afterwards.


End file.
